Carrick himself only replaced Wayne Rooney as United skipper after his return to Everton in the summer, and Mourinho will need to find someone else for the armband just a year later.

According to the Metro, Mourinho has narrowed the race to be next Manchester United captain down to two main candidates – Nemanja Matic or David de Gea.

It’s certainly easy to see why the Portuguese tactician is leaning towards those two given their experience at the top level of the game as well as their leadership attributes.

Although Matic has only been with us for one season, the Serbian has quickly become a key figure on the pitch and Mourinho obviously trusts him hugely having also worked with him at Chelsea.

David de Gea seems the best possible pick as next Manchester United captain

De Gea, meanwhile, is undoubtedly one of our best players and handing him the captaincy doesn’t seem like something that would faze him – quite the opposite, in fact.

And let’s not forget – with Real Madrid likely to be sniffing around as long as they fail to sign another goalkeeper, it’s always worth going that extra mile to keep De Gea happy!

Too soon for Paul Pogba to be Manchester United captain

The Metro add quotes from Mourinho earlier this season regarding Paul Pogba’s suitability for the role, but have suggested the pair’s relationship has since worsened and he’s no longer in contention, at least not in the short-term.

This seems sensible as Pogba will need to up his game next season to show he has a long-term future at the club at all, let alone as captain.

Paul Pogba looks set to be snubbed in the running to be next Manchester United captain